When one thinks of radio career opportunities, deejay positions often come to mind, as do talk radio personalities. These positions are common, but they can be difficult to get, and the candidate will need a fair amount of experience in order to secure the position. Other radio career opportunities exist, however, and some are completely unrelated to deejaying or talking on air. Advertising specialists and sales staff are almost always needed by radio stations, as are account executives, board operators, producers, production assistants, and even interns who may or may not be paid to learn the inner workings of a radio station.
Marketing personnel will create branding products or logos for the station. This may include physical advertisements such as banners, posters, ads in print media, or even brochures, but creating content for the radio will be the primary responsibility for the marketing department. These radio career opportunities may include marketing directors, assistants, and interns, as well as sales and events staff. Events staff will accompany a deejay or other personality to events outside of the studio to interact with the general public and advertise the brand of the radio station. Radio career opportunities in marketing often start with lower-level positions such as events staff.
Accounting radio career opportunities are almost always available. Running a radio station can be a complex endeavor, and money will have to be monitored carefully. The job of the accountant or accounting team will revolve around ensuring the business is making a profit, monitoring debt, paying bills, writing budgets, and managing those budgets throughout a fiscal year. These positions are likely to require a college degree in accounting, mathematics, or business. Some radio stations choose to outsource the accounting duties to an independent accounting firm, while larger stations are likely to have an accounting department on location.
Board operators are technicians who run the sound board and other related equipment during a broadcast. A deejay, or DJ, is likely to be responsible for some of these duties, but a board operator or technician will have more control over the equipment and may even be responsible for maintenance and repair of that equipment. Producers are the people who oversee the daily operations of the radio shows, and he or she will work with board operators and deejays to develop entertaining and relevant content for the station. The producer will also deal with the technical aspects of the radio shows, such as scheduling, timing, playlists, and more.